Copy of my letter of the 21 of february to the H^ble. john Langdon.
Sir.

I am at last arrived here after the most tiresome Voyage; my being Such a long while o n my journey has detained rather too much Le Fammand into your port;¹ the first thing which I would have Settled, was to determine, if that vessel should be purchased or Sent back; the H^ble. the Commercial Committee had received your answer upon the information they did ask from you, therefore it was unanimously agreed to Send that Ship to Charles-town South Carolina to take her loading; the gentlemen of the Commercial Committee have wrote to the navy-board in Boston that they give orders to Some of the Continental captain of navy not employed, to go to Portsmouth & Embark upon Le Flammand with Some few men if that captain finds it necessary; he will go as far as charles-town with M^r. Fassy & in case he meets with Some Vessels he may be able to take, then he Shall have the Command of the Ship for the time of the fighting only, & the prizes Shall be divided in the following manner, viz 1/8 to the public, 3/8 for the French crew, &1/8 for the American. in case a Captain Could not be got, the navi board is directed to Send at least a good pilote well acquainted With the Coasts of the Southward to go along with M^r. Fassy. i beg of you not to let go that vessel without at least thir pilote. & as the Season is Very much advanced now, I intreat you to order the Captain to make all the haste possible; the vessel must be under Sail a week after the reception of the order.

I directd M^r. Fassy to prepare his papers as if he was going from S^t. Peter of Miquelon to S^t. Domingue; as you have been in that island, I Shall be very much obliged to you if you will give him some proper directions about it, inform him with the names of Some merchants there &c.—

I am Very much pleased with all the members of Congress, & I do not expect to meet with the least difficulty; however I cannot Settle nothing as the different invoices concerning what is arrived of our goods upon the Continent, have not been Sent yet to the Commercial Committee; it Seems to me you had told me that you Sent last year the amount of what you did received by the Mercury & Amphitritte, it was never received; I beg of you to have a copy of it made & to Send it directly along, with the amount of what is come in the packet Mere Bobie & upon le Flammand.

As it is very important that this vessel may Sail the Soonest possible, it was thought more prudent to Send a duplicate of our letters, I have altered Something in this of the first I wrote you the 21^th. of last month, because then Ihad not been yet acquainted that those amounts I Speak you of were never received here.

my plan of going to Settle in Virginia is altered for the present however I shall proceed from here to the Southward Very Soon, but I Shall come back to Settle the whole of my business.

I did not heard yet from the Vessels I expected; what begins to make me very much uneasy.

Will you be So good to Send directly by your Servant the inclosed to M^r. Gardner;² in his letter there is one for Captain Fassy.

I beg you will present my most H^ble. requests to your lady & M^rs. Patty;³ my respectfull Complements to General Whipple.⁴

I have told to the Commercial Committee that I have left Some money with a merchant in Portsmouth to pay the Expences of the Flammand. I have the honour to be [&c.]